Addressing India's Local Concerns with a Sustainable Approach To

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Title: Addressing India’s Local Concerns With A Sustainable Approach To Building Tall

Authors: Sudhir Jambhekar, Senior Partner, FXFOWLE Peter Weingarten, Partner, FXFOWLE

Subjects: Architectural/Design Urban Design

Keywords: Development Economics Sustainability

Publication Date: 2008

Original Publication: CTBUH 2008 8th World Congress, Dubai

Paper Type: 1. Book chapter/Part chapter 2. Journal paper 3. Conference proceeding 4. Unpublished conference paper 5. Magazine article 6. Unpublished

Sudhir Jambhekar, AIA, LEED1 and Peter Weingarten, AIA, LEED2

1Senior Partner, FXFOWLE INTERNATIONAL, LLC, 22 West 19 Street, New York, NY, 10011, USA Tel: +1 646 292 8277, Fax: +1 212 463 8716, Email: [email protected] 2Partner, FXFOWLE INTERNATIONAL, LLC, 22 West 19 Street, New York, NY, 10011, USA Tel: +1 646 292 8208, Fax: +1 212 463 8716, Email: [email protected]

Abstract In developing countries, places where builders are routinely confronted with challenges inherent to poor infrastructure, obstacles effecting constructability, and a lack of political will and state resources, the sustainable tall building provides a unique opportunity for economic analysis and social reflection. In India, especially, the social structure is defined by the economic structure. The impetus for innovation and for envisioning a new skyline is, therefore, both a reflection of the contemporary urban society and economy and a desire to alter that urban fabric. Design issues pertaining to function and program, as well as transparency and the building’s exterior expression, become intrinsically a part of overarching concerns about the building’s impact – symbolically, economically and environmentally – on the surrounding city. Using Mumbai’s proposed new 60-story world-class hotel, retail and residential tower (India Tower) to illustrate the inherent variableness of building within a developing economy, the authors will argue that a truly sustainable approach [email protected] [email protected] to design acknowledges interdependence and embraces diversity in economics, necessitating that a successful “green” Sudhir Jambhekar tall building be an integrated part of a society’s financial, technological and cultural advancements. FXFOWLE INTERNATIONAL Senior Partner Sudhir Jambhekar is an architect and urban designer with nearly 40 years of experience on a wide variety of project types and scales. Sudhir’s passion for design, art, and intellectual exchange with Keywords: developing economies, sustainable design, high-rise development, India the next generation contributes a valued diversity to the design dialogue at FXFOWLE. Sudhir approaches design as a perceptive search for meaning and usefulness, narrowing the infinite possibilities for a project to an idea that balances the forcesIntroduction at work in each. His approach is rooted in the belief that allTower elements combines are part aof highthe larger level whole, of architectural and each element design of the builtFor environment India, the lastis not decade only worthy is characterized of, but requires, by rapid design excellence, excellence. environmentalHis major current responsibility, projects include and high-end a 40-hectare masterplangrowth in constructionof Dubai’s Business and development; Bay for Dubai the Properties,economy is a winning competition for a 301-meter tall mixed-use Park Hyatt hotelexperiencing tower in Mumbai, 8% growth and (Suda 500-acre 2006). master-planning The port city project of on the Dubai Waterfront for Nakheel. He led the design of theMumbai, award-winning (Figure competition 1), located entry on thefor the west Queens coast Museum and of Art expansion, chosen as one of five finalists, as well as thecontaining firm’s innovative a deep natural entry harbor for the thatnew handles Perth Amboyover half High of School competition, also a finalist. He was the lead designer for Manhattan’sthe country’s new cargo Second and Avenue passenger Subway traffic, and is designed assumed several to light rail stations in the New York area. have 20 to 24 million of India’s estimated one billion Peterstrong Weingarten population (16 % of the world’s population). In Inaddition his role to as being a Partner one atof FXFOWLE the most populous INTERNATIONAL cities in the Peter Weingarten oversees all aspects of the firm’s international projectsworld, Mumbai, and manages formerly the day-to-day Bombay serves operation as the of capital the International of Studio. In addition to directing individual projects, his studiothe Indian responsibilities state of Maharashtra include business and, consequently, development exertsand project management. He brings an energetic management style, passionsignificant for design,political and and environmental cultural influence excellence throughout to the firm.the Peter is specifically directing many of the firm’s international projectscountry. in Large-scalethe United Arab buildings, Emirates such and asIndia. India Some Tower, notable projects include a series of mixed-use buildings for Dubai Propertieswhich is currentlywithin the under Business construction, Bay district can of have Dubai, a major which FXFOWLE master planned. These high performance build- ingsimpact will on be Indian environmentally society and responsible can potentially and include affect laborbuilding integrated photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and a living machineand building for wastewater practices. treatment. The Indian He is construction also directing sector the team for a new 301-meter mixed-use, Park Hyatt hotel tower in Mumbai,accounts India, for $51which billion will be per the yeartallest (Berger and greenest 2007) in andthe country when completed. This LEED Gold project is designed toemploys minimize 32 solar million heat gains workers through [Construction a series of rotations Industry in the building’s form, provide on-site wastewater reclamation, andDevelopment a solar chimney Council to generate(CIDC) 2007].electricity. Opportunities For Nakheel exist Properties, Peter is concurrently developing the master planning andfor writing inserting the sustainable environmentally guidelines responsible for all future design, development of the new Madinat Al Arab at the Dubai waterfront, whichpractices will andmake materials this development selection the into greenest the current eco-city global in the world. momentum for sustainability. Figure 1: Mumbai India Tower: An Overview In June of 2007, construction started on India shopping, dining and entertainment options to create a Tower, a 60-story (301 meters) hotel, retail and new destination for local residents and international residential tower designed by FXFOWLE Architects of business and leisure travelers. Designed to have the least New York and Dubai. Located in South Mumbai, India, possible impact on the environment, the tower will and developed by D B Hospitality Private Limited, India integrate current innovative sustainable systems and

CTBUH 8th World Congress 2008 Addressing India’s Local Concerns With A Sustainable Approach To Building Tall

Sudhir Jambhekar, AIA, LEED1 and Peter Weingarten, AIA, LEED2

Keywords: developing economies, sustainable design, high-rise development, India

Introduction Tower combines a high level of architectural design For India, the last decade is characterized by rapid excellence, environmental responsibility, and high-end growth in construction and development; the economy is experiencing 8% growth (Sud 2006). The port city of Mumbai, (Figure 1), located on the west coast and containing a deep natural harbor that handles over half of the country’s cargo and passenger traffic, is assumed to have 20 to 24 million of India’s estimated one billion strong population (16 % of the world’s population). In addition to being one of the most populous cities in the world, Mumbai, formerly Bombay serves as the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and, consequently, exerts significant political and cultural influence throughout the country. Large-scale buildings, such as India Tower, which is currently under construction, can have a major impact on Indian society and can potentially affect labor and building practices. The Indian construction sector accounts for $51 billion per year (Berger 2007) and employs 32 million workers [Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC) 2007]. Opportunities exist for inserting environmentally responsible design, practices and materials selection into the current global momentum for sustainability. Figure 1: Mumbai India Tower: An Overview In June of 2007, construction started on India shopping, dining and entertainment options to create a Tower, a 60-story (301 meters) hotel, retail and new destination for local residents and international residential tower designed by FXFOWLE Architects of business and leisure travelers. Designed to have the least New York and Dubai. Located in South Mumbai, India, possible impact on the environment, the tower will and developed by D B Hospitality Private Limited, India integrate current innovative sustainable systems and

CTBUH 8th World Congress 2008 technologies throughout the building – solar shading, indicative of the historical legacy of a rigid colonialist natural ventilation, daylighting, rainwater harvesting, and system; the system’s original purpose, to support green interior finishes and materials from local sources – industrial development, appears to be at odds with to make it one of the greenest skyscrapers in India. The constructability requirements associated with the mixed, developer is also committed to making India Tower a global economy of the 21st century. Structural problems Green Building Council LEEDTM Gold-rated project, with the remnants of Mumbai’s aging colonial era setting a high standard for future architecture and design infrastructure, such as rail lines and other linkages (or projects in the country. The project team expects lack of), are compounded by the systems’ outdated construction of the tower, potentially the tallest building technologies and inability to support the population’s in India, to be completed in 2010. growing numbers.

For FXFOWLE, a three-decade old practice based State policy and law in India have encouraged the in New York City, their significant experience with the development of an open economy and, not surprisingly, typology of tall buildings remained the common an overwhelming reliance on the private sector to build denominator between their work in Mumbai and projects infrastructure, roads, sewers and habitable housing. This in Asia, the Middle East and America. Initially, the firm is in direct contrast to the perhaps more familiar model of saw their design solution as both a celebration of a town sprouting-up around a rail station, where Mumbai’s distinctive cultural influences and its current, infrastructure is built first, often by the state, and acts as a ongoing transformation on the world economic stage. A catalyst for private growth. In contrast, private and more singular statement emerged from the design foreign investment and development in India are utilized development process that had originated in an as a mechanism for change in infrastructure management. international design competition; the original, winning The Department of Commerce allows for 100% foreign design scheme for India Tower came in later stages to direct investment in the construction development sector, reflect a complex exploration in tower design. (Figures 3 but the sale of undeveloped land is prohibited unless the and 4) investor provides infrastructure in those areas – i.e. roads, water supply, street lighting, drainage, sewage removal Local influences, from the mixed-use program to (DOC 2007). the site’s unusual and constrictive shape and its proximity to the water to the extreme weather conditions of the International lending institutions, like the World monsoon climate, eventually provided weight to the Bank, have used their influence to mitigate the negative argument for a new scheme, one where the very nature of consequences of India’s rather informally organized the tower’s “tallness” and sustainability are a direct construction industry. In response to the persistent lack of response to user requirements. Significantly, the layered a culture of safety in the workplace, often leading to programmatic organization (a vertical segregation of outbreaks in disease, like asbestosis, silicosis and lead functions) has remained, for the most part, a constant in poisoning, lending practices by foreign investors and the India Tower design, while the exterior expression has institutions increasingly require more transparency from evolved. Having entered into a lengthy and the construction industry (CIDC 2007). comprehensive process of identifying the most “appropriate” design elements – the best solutions for All of these measures and more mean that the meeting user requirements and site constraints – the developer in India is forced to examine their project’s design team may only now be able to claim a real stake in reach beyond the confines of the site’s parameters – and Mumbai’s future. This supports the argument that iconic the world community will most likely be present to take architecture possesses authority only when the people note of decisions made and actions taken. Despite all of recognize themselves within its formalized symbolism. these obstacles (and scrutiny), the development community remains optimistic, mostly because of Challenges of Working in India ambition and having invested many years of hard work in When measured according to today’s requirements the process, as well as a belief in the transformative for supporting contemporary technologies, markets and power of a free society and economy. population growth, India’s infrastructure is grossly insufficient. The problem encompasses power generation Historical Context for Making a Statement and clean water supply, in addition to road and In India and other developing countries where the transportation infrastructure. The developer in India increase in high-rise development has progressed at a needs to consider a whole new category of concerns startling rate during the last decade, one may feel the involving back-up generators that pollute and need to ask, “Beyond the attraction of cheap labor and a constructing new roads within an already stressed real estate boom competitive with many European and (nearing full capacity) transportation network – as well as American markets, why alter the skyline?” the perpetuation of an automobile-centric society with its dependency on fossil fuels for energy. Challenges At first glance, the motivating factors appear to associated with inadequate infrastructure are also diverge significantly from those that drove America’s 20th

CTBUH 8th World Congress 2008 century love affair with the skyscraper. In New York City, The India Tower project, which is located in in particular, the combination of being an economic and prestigious South Mumbai at the center point of the media capitol promulgated the development of the coastal Marine Drive (fondly referred to as the Queens skyscraper as the ultimate signature billboard for any necklace) and within ten minutes of the CBD, is institution or corporation. The symbolic implications of particularly well sited for these same economic and India reaching skyward toward a better future fall to those cultural reasons. But, are these factors reason enough to with the means and political clout to effect such change. strive for a similar skyline in Mumbai? In contrast, in the United States, high-rise development is more often than not the product of personal, individual During the last century, the Bauhaus movement, Le ambitions, the demands of a global and extremely diverse Corbusier and even the Russian Constructivists could market place, and, increasingly out of necessity, the very provide an architect with some direction for synthesizing pragmatic “green” solution for challenges associated with converging ideas about architecture, technology and high-density programming, energy conservation and industrialization. Because these concerns now play out water performance. In India, the skyscraper is a means to within a global marketplace, building tall continues to be secure and sustain economic and environmental health, about making a statement, in addition to developing rather than simply a statement about existing power. innovative solutions for a client’s program. Especially within a developing economy where a convergence of There exist some similarities between the outside factors – local economic conditions, climate, etc. emergence of the New York City of the 19th and early 20th – will prevent a building from being designed in centuries and today’s Mumbai. Both cities are major ports, complete isolation, the integration of technology and founded in commerce and trade. Both cities function as form, a Modernist principle and the impetus for much of much more than centers of commerce; they are the architectural advancements of the 20th century, international hubs where ideas are exchanged and the becomes the basis for any formal concept. A sustainable premise for a free and diverse culture is confirmed every approach is an acknowledgement of the inherent day. Mumbai, located off the west coast of Maharashtra, interdependence of the many stakeholders laying claim to is the most populous city in India. As the commercial and a design’s development – and the resulting creative entertainment capital of the country, Mumbai is an synergy of their contributions to the process. informal city that thrives due to its diverse population, commercial markets and culture. Originally comprised of The Large-scale Application of Sustainable Design seven islands, Mumbai’s mass is concentrated on a FXFOWLE’s experience building in New York peninsula, with the southern most area forming the City’s Times Square in the mid-1990s, a period when the Central Business District (CBD). Like New York City, it neighborhood was still very much in transition, is supports a diverse population, a stock exchange that illustrative of the potential reach of one project whose trades in the global market, and a large import/export development was heavily influenced by the desire to industry, and contributes to the entire country’s success as transform an area of urban decay by utilizing sustainable a center for industrial manufacturing, as well as for the design on a large-scale. arts, fashion and theatre. New Yorkers saw the construction of more than 15 new high-rises in Times Square during the past two Perhaps the greatest parallel that the two cities decades. Guided by the Times Square Master Plan, the share is their transformation from a developing economy Interim Plan, and zoning and signage regulations to a world power and the subsequent role they played in developed by 42nd Street Development Corporation, this forming an identity for their respective countries. Prior to neighborhood was completely revitalized as a vital the First World War, the United States was considered corporate community and a tourist destination. The very much a developing country, one with over $3 billion Conde Nast Building at Four Times Square (designed by of debt. However, by the successful conclusion of the war, FXFOWLE Architects), (Figure 2), at the time, the first its economy had emerged with a $3 billion surplus speculative office building in the city in ten years, served invested throughout the world – and, in the process, as the centerpiece of the 42nd Street Master Plan transforming the country from a debtor nation to a prepared by the 42nd Street Development Corporation, a creditor nation and propelling New York City to the high public/private consortium created to promote the status of any of the grand European cities of London, redevelopment of this traditional heart of Manhattan. In Paris and Rome. Mumbai, too, is emerging as the an economic climate where most were hesitant to engage economic and cultural center of India, despite not being is speculative development, the Durst Organization (the the official capital, and it is now demonstrating real developer of the project) understood that this was the influence on the world stage. Thanks in large part to the next key development area in New York City. information and technology revolution and the spread of the global Internet, India continues to transform from a Initial meetings between the developer, architect developing country into a country with economic security, and construction manager revealed a commitment on all with Mumbai serving as an anchor for future sides to what was just beginning to be called sustainable development. design. That mutual belief in designing and building

CTBUH 8th World Congress 2008 anticipate that the tower will have a significant impact on the look and economic viability of the area, evident at the street level, within 10-15 years.

In India, the skyscraper’s role as an embodiment of power, in other words, the explicit tangible, or visible, expression of a state, company or individual’s authority, takes on a different, yet equally powerful, symbolism. Here, architecture’s formal statement inevitably grows out of the process of developing solutions to challenges presented by the environment, site and surrounding infrastructure. The desire to build a “destination place” – a mechanism for development that extends beyond the site’s parameters – is indicative of demographic changes in India, as well. A third of the county’s population lives in urban areas, and the growth of an affluent middle class has increased domestic tourism. The hotel industry is expected to expand as four million international tourists visit India each year. It is estimated that India must spend $10 billion to produce 90,000 five-star hotel rooms to cope with the growth in tourism (Berger 2007). Consequently, at least in India, building tall also means building to accommodate a growing and increasingly Figure 2: Conde Nast Building, designed by FXFOWLE mobile population. responsibly developed into a cornerstone for this project, The question then becomes how do you build tall, which, in turn, became a benchmark for sustainable while identifying responsible, sustainable solutions for commercial development in America. The Conde Nast overarching concerns about the building’s impact – project set high standards for indoor environmental symbolically, economically and environmentally – on the quality and energy efficiency, and, when it was designed surrounding city. At what point in the design process does in 1995, it was the first commercial project in the United the tower’s “concept” become about revitalization, States to integrate photovoltaic panels and fuel cells. This long-term sustainability and a reflection of local is important because of the environmental ramifications, conditions? and, even more significant, because of the project team’s recognition that to build as before is simply not good A Local Building that is also Iconic enough; the effort needed to revitalize Times Square and, For Mumbai, India Tower is the appropriate in the process, attain a higher level of development, one building for a specific place, time and people. To be the more meaningful and one that could demonstrate greater “right solution” for the specific challenges of an potential for a sustained change into the future. individual project carries its own poetics; there is a certain clarity and elegance in the argument that the Similarly, in India, private developers, like D B design demonstrates the best practices of efficiency in the Hospitality Private Limited, weigh both the practical and use of materials and resources, economy of scale, vertical iconic potential of exploiting the resource and space transportation capacity, and structural response to vertical efficient aspects of high-density vertical development. and horizontal forces. India Tower is also a local building Developers in India and in New York have the following that functions as a global indicator for the developing in common: a desire to improve local conditions and to world. Because an individual developer was able to propagate a sense of upward mobility and the pride of change institutionalized and codified perceptions (both having achieved something. As is the case in many entrenched within the municipal culture and formalized developing economies, in Mumbai the idea that the status in law and policy) about the appropriateness of scale and quo is not sufficient, nor is it sustainable, prevails. the quality of the design and execution, the project Embraced throughout society, a yearning exists to possesses a snowball effect, serving as a catalyst for advance to the next level. This is the prerequisite for true change in multiple arenas, including construction growth and sustained development. So, significantly, the technology and general innovation in India and developer for India Tower argues that his project’s potentially throughout the developing world. transformative power includes the ability to spur more development around the site, in addition to building the The key is to use design, as well as the inherent infrastructure that will eventually support a network of momentum that coincides with project stakeholders’ interrelated industries, literally and figuratively ambition and drive to realize goals, to create a transforming the Mumbai landscape. Project stakeholders meaningful product that is also an integral part of the

CTBUH 8th World Congress 2008 larger urban fabric. Ideally, the project does not become Hospitality Private Limited, often feel go hand in hand just another disconnected, singular statement in the sea of with large-scale development efforts. [55% of Mumbai’s competing egos that often characterize the landscape of residents live in slums; the city plans to redevelop these many emerging cities that lack a master planning strategy. areas primarily through public private partnerships A holistic, sustainable approach to design is also an (Wharton 2007).] When developers go outside India for argument for setting a precedent, or corner stone, for help – to secure funding and technical expertise – what could eventually be a master strategy for building a questions are often raised about whether, or to what healthy community. Similar to the way a well-designed, extent, the project will remain “Indian.” efficiently functioning building is composed of interdependent parts, a tower must also be a harmonious What is within an architect’s control: to celebrate, and congruous part of the larger organism, the city. The optimize or transform ideas about culture? India Tower’s goal is a cohesive architectural concept that expresses the design is the product of a long process of responding to character and quality of an organization whose identity user requirements with creativity and innovation; the way also reflects membership in a larger community. This the building will look is a direct result of allowing means refraining from embellishing the design with structural solutions to be expressed in the exterior shell. elements that fail to use less, do more and relate better to The initial scheme (Figure 3) is an external representation their surroundings than their conventional counterparts – of experimentation in programmatic stacking; each effectively, finding an essential expression, using function is expressed distinctly: hotel versus residential. proportion, light and materials. Emerging from the Later schemes (Figure 4) presented a more uniform philosophical framework that eventually produced the representation of “housing.” Although the floor plan design vision that will be India Tower is arguably the remained essentially the same, emphasis shifted from greater accomplishment in having achieved harmony creating numerous, distinct functions to cultivating a between the client, user, site and community. singular definition of housing: a sense of community where only select functions – mainly shared spaces, like the lobbies and sky gardens – were distinguished within the overall program.

The vertical stacking of India Tower’s program (Figure 5) is emblematic of the social stacking of Indian society, but the overall composition of the building challenges this condition by providing a grand “mixing bowl” public space (i.e. the hotel lobby), atypically located at the center of the tower. (Upon entering the tower, the visitor has to journey to the building’s center before taking a divergent, potentially more private and exclusive, route utilizing the designated elevators to specific suites and residences.) In addition, secondary social gathering spots in the form of garden floors are positioned between each of the various programmatic sections. As a design response, this strategy is particular important in terms of its social symbolism, because Mumbai is widely acknowledged as the hub of economic and cultural activity within India. The city perpetuates this persona precisely because of countrywide and global Figure 3: Competition Scheme for India Tower, designed by FXFOWLE preconceptions about Mumbai as a place of opportunity and accomplishment – thanks in a large part to Transparency and Exterior Expression: What Face to Bollywood and historical lore about the region. Millions Show the World? of people of all nationalities, ethnicities and walks of life Free societies and economies are destined to stream into Mumbai every day. In a city lacking a become a part of a larger global community where habitable, safe and clean public realm, hotels are where differences are narrowed and collective/shared beliefs the public can (to a limited extent) interact; within this become less distinct. As discussed, state policy and law in climate, hotels serve as de facto civic architecture. India have encouraged the development of an open economy and cultivated a culture where it is primarily the Within the architectural community, the human private sector that is expected to build infrastructure, body with its structural skeleton, central systems and skin roads, sewers and, in general, sustain the emerging is a familiar analogy for high-rise development and, in economy. This is a tall order, especially when one particular, sustainable design. Programmatic stacking is considers the sense of ethical responsibility to help right likened to the structural qualities of the human spine, and economic and social inequities that developers, like D B each program element – in isolation, rigid like the dense

CTBUH 8th World Congress 2008 bone of the vertebrae – is paradoxically able to be very At this point in the discussion the analogy of the flexible when the body’s individual components function body fails, for “buffer” is incongruous with the goals of the India Tower project. Buffering implies easing the proximity of these socially stratified elements into something much broader than a common boundary or demising wall. In the case of India Tower, the “soft tissue” areas provide the necessary connection to the surrounding city that is not currently available in Mumbai’s urban fabric; they offer members of a culturally diverse and dynamic community a place to come together. In the current paradigm of Mumbai, the hotel (as a typology) takes on new layers of meaning, expanding its role as a transient space and a place for accommodating tourists; in Mumbai, hotels also function as respites for those (with the means) looking for a clean, safe place for social interaction.

High-Performance, High-Density Architecture Developers (and architects) in India are working against deep cultural, institutionally codified assumptions regarding the appropriate and safe Floor Area Ratio for structures; the FAR in India is half that of the global average. The monsoon climate combined with the pressures of India’s immense population is largely to blame for apprehensions, as well as misconceptions, about the application of high density building strategies. (New York City’s 19th century tenements also come to mind, with their limited ventilation, natural light and general poor quality of life.) For the majority of India, discouraging high-rise development has resulted in a legacy of satellite cities and otherwise contributed to continuing suburban sprawl. Although Mumbai’s population is concentrated (albeit growing at a alarming rate) and, therefore, does not yet suffer from the propagation of satellite cities, municipal leaders still wrestle with severe challenges associated with overburdened infrastructure, transportation and utility systems.

It stands to reason that a technologically driven, sustainable architectural solution for high-rise development is the right solution for Mumbai, for this is the answer that is providing the most options for managing the negative impacts of uncontrolled population growth. In more ways than one, Mumbai’s Figure 4: Final Scheme for India Tower, designed by FXFOWLE skyline is a reflection of a series of technological solutions for building under very particular conditions; it in unison. In the way that the spinal chord connects the is also illustrative of individuals responding to both the vertebrae, India Tower’s mixed-use program, a reflection symptoms of a problematic situation and the root causes. Symptoms of overcrowding, such as sprawl, traffic of Mumbai’s multi-dimensional culture and economy, is interconnected by vertical transportation and congestions and higher energy prices, are effectively communication systems. The tower’s sky gardens are combated by building up and by increasing the density within these structures. When high-performance, high likened here to the soft tissue that functions as a buffer between each of the vertebrae, allowing the spine to density building strategies are implemented well, the compress and elongate, for the gardens serve as a buffer mass transit system, for example, is more effective, removing traffic from overcrowded streets and ensuring space between adjacent programs positioned above and below them. that less energy is used per capita.

CTBUH 8th World Congress 2008 Sustainable high-rise “micro-city” developments India Tower project, for instance, will be built in the with municipal systems (separate from any city grid and oldest neighborhood in Mumbai, necessitating that contained within the tower and its property) are a improvements be made to existing building stock and response to systemic problems, or core issues, including infrastructure around the tower – including a natural gas overburdened or nonexistent infrastructure, transportation distribution network to be used for on-site cogeneration and utility systems. within the building.

A Tall and Sustainable Future Current development patterns continue to project a continuous migration to cities; sprawl, traffic congestions and higher energy prices only accentuate the desirability of urban living environments, whether one lives in New York City or Mumbai. Increased demand for urban residential housing and, specifically, high-rise residences is a strong indicator of the existence of a major demographic shift, as well as payback for having invested in real estate and smart growth principles. The issues that remain at the forefront of these trends are primarily focused on life-style and health choices – with indoor air quality, energy efficiency, and water conservation and reclamation leading the sustainable agenda.

In addition to it being the tallest structure, India Tower may likely be India’s greenest skyscraper. The energy efficient aspects of high-density vertical development are particularly attractive to India’s developers who are faced with increasing demand, with limited energy capacity. The leading sustainable measure for high-rise residential structures, though, involves indoor environmental quality and, specifically, the capacity of occupants to enjoy a high quality of life that is reliant upon the quality of the ventilation system. This is particularly challenging in a “hyperactive” commercial city, like Mumbai, with very poor air quality resulting from automotive, industrial and energy pollution. High-rise design must include strategies for proper ventilation and filtration of the outside air. (Although at exceptionally high elevations, natural ventilation may not be possible.)

India tower will incorporate integrated systems and technologies, setting a high standard for future high-performance, sustainable high-rise buildings in the country. Perhaps the biggest challenge for India Tower, though, is the balance between maintaining the necessary transparency – a project feature emblematic of the aspirations of its creators and appropriate for residential uses – and the need for proper and effective solar shading Figure 5: Section Diagram for India Tower, designed by FXFOWLE to reduce demand for cooling. High humidity is a challenge to maintaining an energy efficient and If and when these developments can be connected, comfortable indoor environment. Specifying the latest in the result will be a distributed network of power low-e coatings and minimizing the amount of glazing generation and wastewater reclamation systems that will where possible, the project team ensured that India ease demands on Mumbai’s large-scale infrastructure Tower’s “skin” will be fundamentally sound in terms of improvement projects. Construction of these energy performance. The inclusion of a double wall in the predominantly self-sufficient and sustainable “island” current scheme will have multiple impacts, including developments has already contributed to a renewed delivering a “signature” look for the tower and providing interest and increased investment in India’s cities. The shading and outdoor space for residents. The second skin will operate in concert with the inner skin to allow

CTBUH 8th World Congress 2008 for natural ventilation for those times when India’s sustainability as a means for achieving economic climate is more accommodating. objectives. Significantly, the move toward green is also pushing the high-rise residential building to the forefront It is critical that measures such as these be of society’s collective attention and imagination, implemented throughout the building industry, especially awarding the typology with the same attention and since India’s energy resources are already strained and inventiveness that high-rise commercial buildings have the demand can only be expected to increase. Consider received in the past and, ultimately, changing the way that India’s population is expected to grow at 1.3%, while building tall is done. The codification of these principles the energy consumption rate is expected to grow at more and practices, including the creation of the India Green than three times that rate, or 4.3%. Compounding the Building Council and the adoption of LEED™ as the issue is the system’s inherent inefficiency; India requires sanctioned metrics for evaluating a project, are 2.88 times more energy than rich countries to produce the representative of a national commitment to effecting a same amount of output (Srinivas 2007). market transformation.

Water conservation and reclamation are a premium References in Mumbai and many of the features of India Tower help BERGER, J. (2007). India: The Construction & Interiors Sectors. reduce water consumption and provide for the recycling DMG World Media Dubai Ltd., [online]. Available at: of water. Sky gardens and green roofs can help reduce http://www.iiiexhibition.com/dloads/india-mrktrpt.pdf [accessed October 2007] the urban heat island effect. They are also effective Construction Industry Development Council. 2007. Publications vehicles for retaining water during most of the year, [online]. Available at: http://www.cidc.in/index.htm although the monsoon season can be intense, potentially [accessed October 2007] overpowering any building’s systems left unprotected by SRINIVAS, S. (2006). A report on the Indian Green Building Industry. its façade. In conjunction with a complete onsite black CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, [online]. Available at: http:///www.greenbusinesscentre.com/articles.asp [accessed October water/sewage treatment plant, India Tower will have the 2007] capability of retaining and reusing a significant amount of SUD, H. (2006). Poverty and Slums in India: Impact of Changing stormwater. There is no shortage of water sources in a Economic Landscape. South Asian Analysis Group [online]. Paper no. tower with this particular programmatic makeup, and 1769. Available at: every drop will be tracked. Treated water can also be used http://www.saag.org/%5Cpapers18%Cpapers1769.html for cooling and for nonpotable uses, such as toilet [accessed October 2007] Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. 2007. India Knowledge @ flushing. Wharton [online]. Available at: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4223 Conclusion [accessed October 2007] Developers and green advocates, alike, are coming to the conclusion that mixed-use, high-rise development is the best way to create neighborhoods that are socially sustainable and have a good quality of life. In India, the skyscraper often comes first, with the follow-up development at least a couple years behind, necessitating that synergy for a project is created now, not later. The optimal way to accomplish this is to create an economically diverse, interdependent community. In many ways, this approach is consistent with a general faith in sustainable design principles where the goal is to create a sustainable environment. A truly sustainable approach to design acknowledges interdependence and embraces diversity in economics. A successful “green” tall building is an integrated part of a society’s financial, technological and cultural advancements.

A Final Note FXFOWLE has long maintained that sustainable attributes are not separate from the rest of the process or product – and certainly not independent from local concerns about the site and neighborhood economy and culture. India Tower will use India’s version of the LEED™ rating system to achieve a Gold rating, consistent with the country’s recognition, in general, of

CTBUH 8th World Congress 2008